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Mission Statement

As part of the federal government’s National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Eye Institute’s mission is to “conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders, mechanisms of visual function, preservation of sight, and the special health problems and requirements of the blind.”

NEI Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI)

NEI Audacious Goals Initiative for Regenerative Medicine

NEI Audacious Goals Initiative…restoring vision through regeneration of the retina

The Audacious Goals Initiative (AGI) for Regenerative Medicine is an effort by the National Eye Institute to push the boundaries of vision science. By facilitating cross-disciplinary research, the AGI is tackling the most devastating and difficult-to-treat eye diseases.

The NEI AGI is catalyzing research that will enable the restoration of vision through regeneration of the retina. The central goal is to replace cells of the retina that have been damaged by disease or injury and to restore their connections to the visual centers of the brain. Through strategic research funding, the NEI is enlisting dynamic scientists and teams who are developing the necessary knowledge and technology to make the goal a reality. Read more about the AGI.

The NEI audacious goal is to regenerate neurons and neural connections in the eye and visual system. The NEI AGI is targeting the photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells. Photoreceptors—often called rods and cones—are cells in the retina that when stimulated by light generate signals the brain perceives as images. The retinal ganglion cells carry the signals from the photoreceptors to the brain. Read more about the audacious goal.